Rico Lewis keen to stake his claim for England senior side in U21 leadership role | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Rico Lewis says his role as one of the more experienced players in England’s Under-21 squad will stand him in good stead for the future.

Following the Young Lions’ U21 Euros victory in Slovakia this summer, Lee Carsley must rebuild his squad as several players are no longer eligible for the next campaign.

Still only 20, Lewis could be one of those key players, having already made his debut for England’s senior team and featured in the Champions League under Pep Guardiola.

“With [Manchester] City I’m probably one of the younger ones, I listen to the older players, kind of use them as a guide, but then when you come here, I have to put myself in a different pair of shoes and see that there are players here that all look up to me as well,” Lewis explained.

“I’m more experienced in, like you say, in games and bigger games. So, yeah, it is nice and it’s something that I think will help me in the future to be able to flip into that role as well as I get a bit older.”

Reflecting on the experience he has gained over nearly four years in the spotlight, Lewis admitted: “It’s not like a typical career, I think, as of now.

“It’s all been, I don’t know, you’d probably say it’s all come at once, especially at the start, and I think the team that I came into, obviously it’s helped me a lot in terms of maturing me, but I think at the moment I’m right where I want to be in terms of how I feel confident in my own game and also progressing and seeing my goals in the future as playing more games, becoming more of a consistent starter.

“I think they’re the main real personal goals I’ve got for myself, and if I look at them goals, they’re the things that are actually going to make me better as a player.”

The 20-year-old missed out on the Young Lions’ success at the U21 Euros this summer due to his involvement in Manchester City’s Club World Cup campaign.

But the Manchester City full-back believes the new group has the quality to build on that triumph and reach even greater heights.

“I also think the team before have been so good and the team before then pushed them to win it again,” he said. “And I think that’s going to be the same for this age as well. But I think we’ve got just as much time as the two teams before to go and do it again and that’s always going to be the goal for England. When you’re playing for England, there’s not really another option.

Looking ahead to the World Cup, several of England’s U21 stars from the summer, including Elliot Anderson and Tino Livramento, have caught the eye and staked their claim for a ticket to the tournament.

With youngsters like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Nico O’Reilly also earning first-team call-ups in recent camps, Lewis knows that regular performances under Lee Carsley could put him in a strong position for next summer.

“Yeah, I think that’s one of the things that Lee always says when we first come in is, you know, it should be proud to get called up, wherever you get called up,” Lewis said.

“At the end of the day, you’re playing for your country, and I think he’s obviously right with that.

“But we also all have bigger goals than where we are at the moment. Every player, you know, every person in life has a bigger goal than where they are. And I think, like you say, it’s a good way to be well noticed because you’re playing more games and you’re playing in England kit and the fans notice you, the managers notice you and you’d like to think that you’re better off playing than not playing at all. So I think it’s a good thing.”